


Strawberry Sweet

by stardusting



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, First Dates, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 10:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5536262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardusting/pseuds/stardusting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before anything can be said, the doorbell chimes again and Edward makes a shooing motion with his hand. Elizabeth, filled with newfound confidence takes the last of the steps two at a time and wonders if it’s possible for her heart to burst out her chest from excitement. </p><p>(Girl dates featuring tarts, movies, confessions, and lots of blushing.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strawberry Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for healthy kuro secret santa (2015) and is also posted on tumblr.

Elizabeth hums between the motions of applying makeup, just the bare minimum to make her eyes look greener and lips look pinker. She’s always been praised for her natural beauty, mother and ladies at the store assuring her that she doesn’t need much of anything to look nice. On most days, she’d usually forgo it all together but it’s a special day today. She screws the cap back on her gloss and makes sure her hair is in order, flashing a smile at her own reflection when she’s finished.

Her father would say she’s as pretty as a picture.

Edward is there in her room with her, she can see his place on her bed from the mirror. He’s gripping one of her pillows to his chest and tapping at his phone with his free hand. He claims to be around for moral support and actually did help her decide on an outfit to wear so he wasn’t completely useless. Elizabeth doesn’t mind his presence but she knows the real reason why he’s hovering; he’s fretting about her going out on her first date. This is a real one, one that she initiated no less, not a friend date she sometimes has with the other girls at school or with Ciel when he’s feeling up to being dragged around.

“Is Soma coming over?” she asks her question innocently enough, breaking the silence in the room and turning in her chair to face her brother.

He pauses, thumb hovering over his phone, and looks up, expression mildly confused. “Yes, he’s on his way actually, so he should be here soon. He’ll probably show up after you leave though.”

“Well that’s good.” Elizabeth says, smile on her lips and keeps from giggling. “He’ll keep you from getting too bored in this house, all alone.”

The elder sibling almost rises to the bait, but catches himself, face quickly growing red. He’s not used to Lizzie teasing him like that, refusing to believe the implications she had place. She’s too pure to know anything about whatever it is that she implied, never mind the fact that she’s sixteen.

Composure returned, Edward lets out a sigh and will the heat still hovering around his cheeks away. “We have a project to finish, so of course we’ll be working on that. Plus we have a test to study for.”

Elizabeth allows her smile to widen and nods her head because she does believe him about the project and the studying bit. Both boys take their schooling seriously after all. It’s also no secret that Edward and Soma are dating, because Edward’s bad at lying and never feels like the type to hide anything. Soma isn’t much better at it either.

Their parents had taken it well, Edward coming out as bi over dinner one night and stating his new relationship status. Francis had only nodded and Alexis had beamed, glad to know they were still a family of very few secrets despite the children steadily growing into young adults. It helped that their father liked Soma and never passed up the chance to try to get Edward to invite him over even before they were dating; now it’s more frequent. Frequently the offer was taken up in turn; enough that Elizabeth had stated that Edward might as well marry him at this rate since he practically lives here and her brother ended up being embarrassed about it the rest of the day. Silly boys.

Her parents’ reaction about Edward is the reason why Elizabeth isn’t worried about her first relationship that is if the more romantic feelings are returned. Doll is primarily a friend of Ciel’s, but has interacted with Elizabeth enough for her to grow a crush. It’s fairly new territory for youngest Midford and involved a few talks with her mother and one with Edward that ended up with both of them embarrassed. Now, almost an entire year of knowing Doll, she’s quite sure of her feelings.

Speaking of, the doorbell rings and Elizabeth is the first one to stand and hurry out the room, Edward follows a second later, pocketing his phone and tossing the pillow back on the bed. He knows who Doll is and has met her a few times in passing, but Edward feels the need to see his sister off and wish her luck as best he can. He knows for a fact how hard liking someone and not being sure if they feel the same way.

Elizabeth pauses before fully descending the stairwell into the foyer. A sudden wave of nervousness hits her causing her to wring her hands together. She turns, facing her brother and gives him a tight smile.

“How do I look?” the question doesn’t convey the real ones she wants to ask, the ones about this being a good idea or should she just keep her feelings to herself. Self-doubt comes to her rarely but when it does it’s like a tidal wave, ready to knock her off her feet.

Edward gives her a smile, the kind that older siblings give their younger ones to convey how much they love them without words. “Like a star.” He says, his voice soft. “You’ll do great. Have fun and be safe and call me if anything happens or if you get a bad feeling about anyone or anything –“

He gets cut off by Elizabeth’s laughter, clear like silver bells. “Okay brother, stop worrying, so much I’ll be fine.” It’s a known fact by the entire family that she’s more than able to handle herself, self-defense classes and fencing lessons taught by mother make sure of that. She doesn’t mind the worrying too much though, it’s endearing and comforting.

Before anything can be said, the doorbell chimes again and Edward makes a shooing motion with his hand. Elizabeth, filled with newfound confidence takes the last of the steps two at a time and wonders if it’s possible for her heart to burst out her chest from excitement.

Hand hovering over the knob she turns back, “Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.” She teases, flashing a smile of all white teeth when Edward’s face blooms a spectacular shade of red. She’s out the door before he can another word in.

“Sorry for the delay to the door.” Elizabeth states once the house is securely locked behind her. The first thing that crosses her mind is how nice Doll looks today. The articles of clothing that make up the outfit aren’t new, but they’re put together so nicely and Doll have always looked nice to her anyway.

“s’alright.” Doll says with a shrug. “wasn’t that long a wait anyway. Did ya need more time?”

Elizabeth shakes her head, begins walking, it doesn’t take long for them to start walking in step. “I’m fine. We’re on a bit of a schedule anyway.”

“Oh, right the movie. What time does it show again?”

“Not for at least another hour and a half. I was thinking we could stop by and get lunch first. There’s a little pastry shop I found a couple months back not too far away from here. I thought you might like it.” Elizabeth is proud of herself, they’re walking close enough to brush shoulders and hands on the occasion and she hasn’t been left a blushing and stuttering mess. “After we eat there, we can catch the tube and head to the movie.”

Doll makes a noise; one that Elizabeth has learned meant that she agreed with something. “Sounds fine w’ me but you’re not paying for all this are ya?”

“That was the plan…” she trails off slowly, hoping she didn’t insult the other by accident.

She knew about their difference, how her family is wealthy with both parents involved with the government and how Doll’s isn’t so much. Her makeshift family runs a joke shop and occasionally can be seen busking in tourist heavy places during tourist heavy seasons. They’re good, honest people so of course Elizabeth has never had any problem with them; everyone does what they need to survive.

The brunette sighs and Elizabeth is relieved that she doesn’t look annoyed, rather amused actually. “Rich kids. How ‘bout this, you pay for lunch as long as it doesn’t end up being too much and we can pay for tickets separately and I can pay for any snacks we get.”

That’s a smart idea and Elizabeth nods her head and beams. “That sounds brilliant! I’m glad you thought of it.”

Doll has to turn her head quickly to the side and rub a hand across her cheek to will the sudden heat that floods her face away.

 

The place Elizabeth takes them to is small and family run, with an homely feel and a few tables. There’s a lot to choose from in the glass display case, everything looking fresh and delicious like always.

“Feel free to get whatever you like.” The blonde insists, giving a small wave to the person behind the counter, the owner’s daughter if she’s not mistaken. “It’s all rather inexpensive compared to other places and everything tastes good.”

Doll only nods, fingertips tapping at her chin and blue eyes glancing at all the items on display. If she’s overwhelmed by all the choices, Elizabeth can sympathize. When she first came here, there was so much that sounded so delicious that she ended up spending nearly half an hour trying to figure out what she wanted.

“What do you like to get?” Doll ends up asking a minute, believing that some extra help is needed.

The blonde hums, pressing a finger to her bottom lip in thought. “Everything. I end up trying something new every time I come here, so I haven’t decided on an absolute favorite. What’s your favorite flavor for candy?”

“Strawberry!” the answer is immediate, but consideration is taken after the fact. “I also don’t mind caramel. I actually like ‘em both a lot.”

Elizabeth nods, gently grabbing the other’s wrist and leading her down to the end of the display glass. “They have a strawberry crème and caramel tart.” She points to the confection, feeling proud of herself of catching sight of it earlier. “I’ve never had it, so we can both get one.”

Doll’s eyes light up, freckled cheeks taking on a soft pink tinge as she nods her head. Elizabeth counts this as a win and orders two of the smaller ones, handing off the one with the bigger strawberries to the other once they take a seat.

As far as she can tell, Elizabeth believes things are going fine, she ends running back to the counter and orders two hot chocolates. It’s a bit cold today, so it’ll help. They chat lightly over their sweets, mentioning noteworthy things that have happened at their respective schools and how their families are doing and what they have planned for the upcoming holiday season.

“So yer brother’s gay?” Doll questions during a lapse of silence, hands gripped around the ceramic cup that holds her drink. Her plate’s empty so now she’s just waiting.

“Bi actually.” Elizabeth corrects gently, pokes at a strawberry on her plate and ends up proffering it off to Doll whose face lights up at the action. “He’s dating Soma. I know I mention him often and he’s pretty close to Ciel. Have you met him?”

Doll nods her head, swallows the strawberry and starts back up. “I met ‘im once, bit eccentric but seems like he knows how to have a good time. Are your parents really okay with this? I hear horror stories all the time...”

“My parents are okay with it.” She reassures, eating the last bite of her tart and continuing. “Papa said that when you spend a majority of your school days at an all-boys boarding school, you see and hear some things and realize it’s not as big of a deal as people make it out to be. People like who they like, there’s no changing that.”

“Yer pa sounds like a good guy. Maybe I should meet ‘im one day.”

Elizabeth smiles brightly, pleased at the proposition. It gives her a flutter of hope that blooms between her ribcage and heart. “You’ll like him a lot I think and he’ll like you too! Papa ends up getting along with everyone he meets even if they’re mine or Edward’s friends.”

“That’s good.” Doll laughs lightly, resting her elbows on the table and cradling her cheek in her hand. “If he’s really such a pleasant guy I can see where you get from.”

The blonde gets called nice and pleasant to be around all the time, but hearing it from someone she likes make her have to resist the urge to hold her face in her hands to hide a possible blush. She thinks she’s okay though.

“Thank you. You’re really nice to hang around too.” She musters up the courage to say, hoping it doesn’t sound too much like flirting. Even though she is, probably.

Doll laughs louder, a pleasant sound that makes Elizabeth’s insides flip flop. “Thanks yourself. Shouldn’t we be heading to see the film now?”

Elizabeth startles, almost having forgotten about the second event. She nods her head, standing up from the table and offering to take the plates and cups back to the counter. Doll waits outside for her, the air is chilly and sky cloudy but there doesn’t seem to be any threat of rain yet.

 

They start walking once Elizabeth is out, mostly silent until they get to the tube station. They chatter the entire time there however, energy from all the people affecting their mood. It’s midday and the weekend so once on, there’s tight squeeze and none of the men bother to stand to let them sit down. It’s normal and Doll finds herself not necessarily minding having Elizabeth practically pressed against her side. This isn’t first time this has happened in their time of knowing each other, but it’s the first time it makes her heart beat in her throat. It’s a pleasant sort of ache and she feels colder when they both get off at their stop.

Elizabeth ends up grabbing Doll’s hand as they make their way to the movie theatre, a habit she’s picked up from a concerned father and brother that insisted on doing so when in busier places. Doll doesn’t seem to mind and she’s glad about that. They both share the similar concern about their hands being sweaty, but worry that if they let go it just won’t be right.

They end up seeing a movie that came out nearly a month ago, an animation about girl knight who rescues a prince from a tower. It was very well received and not really a surprise to see that it’s still partially filled with children, some obviously coming back to watch it again.

They both enjoy it, but there are times when they look at each other when they think the other isn’t looking. It’s a marvel, seeing colors reflecting off someone’s eyes like that and watching their expression change in response to the film. They’re both terrible smitten without realizing how much exactly.

“That movie was great!” Elizabeth exclaims as soon as they exit, careful to move out the way of excited children.

Doll sips at the last dregs of the coke they shared, wondering if refills are free for this size. “It really was. I thought folks were makin’ too much of a hype about it, but I see what the fuss is about.”

They take a seat at one of the high seated tables; Elizabeth sends a message to her mother and Edward to let them know that she’s done with the movie and one to Ciel to see how he’s doing. Doll ends up getting a refill, coming back to sit, contently sipping at the coke.

“So what’s the plan now?”

“Well, I told my mother I was done and turns out she and papa are in the area. They’ll be picking me up and offered drop you off if you want.”

Doll thinks about it, but ends up shaking her head instead. “Nah, I told Beast I’ll get something for her while I’m out, so it’s alright.”

Elizabeth is a bit dejected at that, but reasons that’s selfish of her to feel that way and nods her head instead. There’s a silence after, it’s not necessarily awkward but it isn’t the same as the ones before. Her mother messages her ten minutes later to let her know she’s outside.

“Well, I best be off.” The blonde states, gently hopping off the large chair.

Doll follows suit soon after. “I’ll ya walk to the car at least.”

This would be an okay time to confess, but there’s the nervousness again that fills her stomach with worms. Her mother’s car is in view and thought of maybe never getting this chance again flashes through her mind.

“Wait a moment.” She pauses her steps, grabs Doll’s free hand and moves her to a secluded corner in front of the building. It’s now or never at this rate.

Doll looks confused, if not a bit concerned, and rightfully so. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” She shakes her head furiously and doesn’t know what to do with her hands, so she ends up placing them behind her back. Deep breaths. “So…you know how I said this was a date?”

The other nods but doesn’t say anything.

“Well…I’m serious. This is a date…and I want to have another with you if that’s alright?” She’s able to easily beat grown men when fencing, so why is this so hard? Can her face catch on fire from how hot it currently is? “Basically, what I mean is that I like you, like I _really like_ you, but it’s okay if you don’t like me back. I just wanted to let you know…”

It’s silent for a few seconds that end up feeling like hours. Elizabeth is worried she’s messed up, gone and ruined their friendship by confessing like this. She’s about to say sorry, take back all she’s said, reassure her that they can still be friends. It won’t make anything weird.

“Are you serious?” Doll says it before she can get a word out and it’s Elizabeth’s turn to look confused. “About liking me, seriously?”

“Uhm...yes? L-like I said it’s okay if you don’t return my feelings. We can still be friends.”

“No.” Doll shakes her head so furiously that Elizabeth catches a glimpse of burn on her face. “I mean, yes! Yes, I like you a lot too. I just, uhm…didn’t know if you’d like me back. I mean yer all…you and I’m all me. If that makes any sense.”

It does and doesn’t really, either way it make Elizabeth mostly out of relief though. “I’m glad. I’m really glad that you like me. I like you too, for being you that is.”

“Oh,” Doll flushes brilliantly, accidently keeping quiet longer than she means to. “So…so does this means that we’re dating now or…”

“I think so.” Elizabeth feels a lot of emotions, so many that she has to place both her hands over her cheeks. Her face hurts from smiling but it’s okay. “I’ve never really done this before but I’m pretty sure mutual agreement is needed before two people can start dating.”

“That’s great!” Doll beams, bright like the summer sun. “Oh, your mum’s here ain’t she? Don’t wanna get her too worried. We can…talk later about this if you want. Like I’ll call or text you when I get home.”

“Either one is fine.” Elizabeth reassures and turns her head to look back to see in fact that her mother is still there waiting. Her father’s probably in the car too. She turns her head back around to face Doll, suddenly filled with affection. It’s impulsive when she does it, walking forward a few steps and placing a kiss on the other’s cheek. It’s worth it though, she thinks, to see Doll turn that a darker red.

Elizabeth takes that as her cue, walking proudly to her mother’s car and throwing a ‘be safe’ over her shoulder before sliding into the vehicle.

“How’d it go?” Francis asks, briefly glancing at her daughter through the rearview mirror as she drives off.

Elizabeth sighs, all dreamy and content, sliding down in her seat a little. This must be what Edward feels on a daily basis, it’s nice. No wonder her brother is almost always in a good mood.

“It went splendidly, mother. It couldn’t have been better.” And that’s the truest fact.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!


End file.
